A Fireman's Job
by 10mm
Summary: In the midst of a raging conflagration, fireman Kagami Taiga meets a certain kindergarten teacher.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko no Basuke...or do I? *wiggles eyebrows* But seriously...I don't.

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A Fireman's Job

Chapter 1

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There were times when Kagami Taiga loathed his job. Not that being a firefighter wasn't a respectable occupation or anything, chicks flocked (rather aggressively) toward him at the discovery. Though Kagami humbly appreciated the attention accompanying his choice of profession, rushing to put out a barbeque party gone wrong wasn't awfully exciting…or glamorous. At least, that wasn't what he signed up for. And yet there were times when Kagami Taiga loathed himself for craving such excitement.

Like right now. The only thing stopping him from kicking himself in the face was, well, gravity and the fact that he was clutching onto a speeding fire truck, desperately hoping (in vain) that the raging sirens wouldn't render him completely deaf.

He needed those, and Aomine already laughed at him enough for being so brash, though _he_ wasn't any different. Much to Kagami's discomfort, the man had a knack of getting under the fireman's skin, a fact that that he utilized to the fullest extent. Thank god the police man had been transferred to Tōō last month.

Just thinking about the tan idiot gave Kagami a hernia.

Without warning, the truck sped over a speed bump, sending Kagami airborn. He cussed, but managed to catch the bar before he toppled off the vehicle. This truck needed some seats. Or a safety harness.

While adjusting the yellow, protective helmet obstructing his vision, Kagami caught the familiar scent of smoke.

"We're here," he thought in impending dread. He resisted the urge to slap himself for his earlier wish for excitement.

The truck came to a screeching halt. In the blink of an eye, yellow suits burst out of the truck and scurried to ready the hoses and ladders.

Kagami glanced at the thick plumes of smoke rolling out of the dilapidated roof.

Because whenever he gets his wish, it arrives in the form of melted paint, scorched wood, and endangered lives.

With one last breath, Kagami Taiga slipped on a pair of goggles and turned to the blazing conflagration that was once Seirin's preschool.

* * *

It was hot.

The sharp smell of smoke clung to Kuroko's lungs as he blinked away tears. Sweat trickled down the nape of his neck and disappeared underneath the collar of his shirt. He paid no mind to the roaring flames, the screeching alarms, or the terrified cries before him as he escorted children out of the smoldering building. Luckily, the kids weren't quite tall enough to be critically affected by the rising smoke. However, none could escape the sweltering heat.

As they fled through the front exit, Kuroko sighed in relief at the arrival of the fire department. Turning back to his students, he led them away from the smoke and flames while checking for any signs of injury. He let out a breath that he had unwittingly held as most of the damage was superficial aside from the occasional cough and soot smudge.

He deliberately ignored the dancing hues of deep scarlet and molten gold reflected in the dilated eyes of his students and focused on suppressing the festering cough welling up in his chest. Finally gathering his wits, he took count and froze.

He was two short.

"Stay here." He calmly instructed his students before venturing into the thick, acrid smoke once again.

His students stood stock still, as if preserved in concrete. The tongues of flame illuminated the identical horror worn on each of their reddened faces. A dozen damp eyes followed the back of their beloved instructor before it vanished within the thick clouds of soot and ash. Too stunned to form a sound, not a single cry was uttered.

* * *

Yanking heavy straps in place, Kagami wanted to cuss. Why did this building have a wooden frame? Why was it filled with papers? Why was this damn fire spreading so quickly?

In an attempt to calm the raging flames, the team agreed to gain some height and then attack from the top until backup trucks arrived. He was ready to mount the ladder, mask and respirator placed and heavy SCBA strapped securely to his back.

…what the hell was latching onto his leg?

Peering down, he stiffened.

Trembling and helplessly sobbing something unintelligible against his leg was a munchkin with curly, brown pigtails. His red brows furrowed in confusion. After letting another fireman climb ahead of him, Kagami awkwardly loosened the arms clutching onto his structural turnouts before taking the girl up in his arms and carrying her to a safer area.

Heavy boots slapped against the concrete before softening on dry grass. Mini pigtails bounced in the air and obscured the fireman's vision. Internally, Kagami gave himself a pep-talk. He could do this. She was a fourth of his size for crying out loud, as small as a d-dog... Shuddering, he obviously needed to refine his motivational skills.

"Hey…" He crouched down and placed his hands on her shoulders. He scanned to see if she was hurt but found her fine, aside from tear-stained cheeks, "What's wrong?"

Hazel eyes peered up at the enormous man and grimaced. Kagami belatedly realized that the speaker module on his pressure mask intimidated her.

He was never good with kids.

Glancing back at the second fire truck that had pulled up at the scene, Kagami have a hefty sigh and carefully peeled off his helmet, though he opted to pull down the mask and respirator. Sucking in a deep breath of air, he tried again.

"Are you okay?"

He was answered by a vigorous shake of the head.

He looked her over once again. "Are you hurt?"

Another shake of the head.

His brows furrowed. He was not in the mood to play twenty questions with a flaming building as the backdrop.

One more time. "What's wrong?"

Surprisingly, even larger tears were streaming down her reddened cheeks.

"S….sensei," she gasped out and pointed to the building.

Kagami's eyes widened as he followed her small index finger. He broke into a sprint while simultaneously slipping his gear in place.

"Taiga!" Himuro exclaimed, while blockading the fire before it spread to nearby complexes, "What are you doing? You—"

Kagami didn't break his pace as he raced past. "Himuro, tell someone to evacuate all the children and teachers from the area."

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"Saving an idiot," echoed from the retreating silhouette, before it too disappeared in the raging inferno.

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Author's Note: Well, there it is. Hope you liked the chapter, even though it was a little short. Feel free to tell me what you guys thought about it c;


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you guys for so much support! I tried to extend the length so I hope you all enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko no Basuke! Though it'd be nice...

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A Fireman's Job

Chapter 2

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Noxious fumes reduced his visibility to near zero. Clutching a handful of his collared shirt to his nose and mouth, Kuroko all but crawled through a hallway blooming with flowers of crimson. He averted his eyes from the sight of colored pictures blackening with soot and felt the first door on the right for any sign of heat. Feeling none, he burst into the classroom and scanned for any of his missing students.

As rapidly accumulating smoke rendered his sight useless, his ears strained to pick up the slightest whimper. He found none.

A strain of violent coughs rose from his constricted throat. Unable to support his weight, Kuroko slumped against the wall for support and blindly groped forward. His fingertips brushed against the corner of a glass case.

A fire extinguisher.

With renewed rigor, Kuroko took a step away from the wall and pulled back a clenched fist. Bracing himself for the impact, he punched through the glass. The droplets of blood rolling down white knuckles were dutifully ignored. Tremulous fingers gripped the neck of the extinguisher and with a jerk the apparatus revealed itself in its polished red glory.

A sharp intake of breath was sucked through clamped teeth as bits and pieces of splintered glass pierced his hand. Clumsily, Kuroko pulled the pin and rushed from the classroom and bounded to the next.

Empty.

The nerve-wracking process continued before he stood in front of his own door.

Now armed, he kicked down the classroom door without hesitation. When the it gave way, a curtain of gray smoke billowed out the entrance. Fire crackled and curled on the walls. Kuroko prayed that his kids weren't in this room as he pulled back the trigger and sprayed the inching flames.

By the time the entrance was cleared, tufts of dying smoke swarmed Kuroko. With both hands gripping the extinguisher, his mouth and nose were left vulnerable to the fumes. Blinking rapidly, he alternated between tearing up and coughing.

Amidst his dry-heaving, Kuroko discerned a faint whimper. Relying solely on his ears, Kuroko vaulted over to the left corner of the room.

Huddled in the corner and jammed between the cubbies was one of his students. Her entire body trembled in its curled form and the bottom half of her face was buried into her teddy bear's abdomen. Her eyes were screwed shut as she clutched a teddy bear for dear life.

Mindful of his lacerated hand, he pulled the girl into a fierce hug. Reflexively, she grabbed a handful of his shirt and stifled the tears threatening to spill by biting down on a lip.

"Kuroko-sensei," Her voice caught in her throat, "sorry… went to get Ken…got lost."

"It's okay." He hushed but immediately began coughing. Soon, the coughs turned to wheezing and Kuroko was forced to clutch his chest, willing the oxygen-deprived lungs to function. To his surprise, a small hand covered his tightly clenched fist. His heart contracted when he felt the petit appendage tremble.

"Kuroko…sensei…okay?" she inquired before breaking out into a fit of coughing herself.

His reply was cut off by an explosion. It must be the gas cylinders in the house exploding under the strong pressure of the heat. Panicking, he glanced at the extinguisher and touched its surface. It was still cool.

"Try not to talk." Gently, he tugged on her wrist. "Can you stand?"

She hesitantly nodded and struggled, however her body was uncooperative.

"I can't…" she looked to him, panicked, "Sensei!"

Kuroko put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "You're fine. It's just shock."

"Shock..?" she echoed, fearfully.

"It'll go away but hold on."

Scooping the girl into his arms, Kuroko made an effort to stand. His legs felt like jelly and sweat flowed in miniature rivulets down his spine before sticking to his collared shirt. Gritting his teeth, he cursed his dearth of athletic ability. In the midst of his struggle, the extinguisher dropped with a clang and rolled to the side.

As classroom flooded with smoke and fire, the girl in his arms began to cough softly. He soon joined her.

* * *

Kicking down yet another door, Kagami felt desperation sink in. Windows cracked and splintered as flames engulfed the building. He didn't have to be a genius to know that the kindergarten was on its last legs.

If he didn't find that idiot in the next seven minutes, a rescue team would.

Lunging over a pile of debris, Kagami spotted white foam. Placing his hope in the trail, he found an opened door.

He squinted into the room, unfazed by the blazing heat.

His eyes zeroed in on the hunched figure leaning against the wall, carrying a bundle in his arms. Cutting through the thick veil of smoke, he raced over and placed a hand on the shoulder of the man.

Kuroko's eyes fluttered open, glancing at the gloved extremity. Craning his neck to look the owner, he saw an intense shade of amber behind a plastic visor. The man's lips moved but the sound of his heart clapping against his ribcage drowned out all sound.

His vision swam and soon two pairs of eyes split into three then four. A wave of dizziness caused him to stumble into the fireman's chest.

'He's not going to make it.' Kagami thought in horror before removing his respirator hand placing it on the suffocating man's pale face.

Taking a few deep breaths, Kuroko found it considerably easier to breathe. Cracking an eye open, he peered at the hand placing the respirator over his mouth.

A bloodied hand shoved the breathing apparatus away.

"What the fu-"

Kuroko limply held out the bundle in his arms. "Give it to her." He rasped.

Incredulously, Kagami took a second look at the lump. He reeled back in surprise when it moved. What turned out to be a bale of cloth was actually a small girl curled up into the guy's shirt.

He squinted at the girl—she looked fine compared to her sensei who had at some point began coughing up a lung. Kagami had to admire the effort the blue-haired man put into keeping the hacking discrete, though it didn't stop the fireman from shooting Kuroko a stern look.

The flames crackled and popped as they gained in intensity. Alarmed, Kagami looked to the ceiling at the sound of creaking.

Deciding to pick up the pace, he held out his hands. "Give me the girl."

Kuroko made no motion to refuse, so Kagami moved forward to take the load. He grunted when the girl clutched harder onto the fabric of Kuroko's shirt. Attempting to burrow deeper into the cloth, she wiggled around.

"No!"

Her stubbornness was tantamount to Kagami's frustration. He was trying to save their hides from a very fiery and unpleasant death, goddammnit.

"Atsuko-chan," Kuroko decided to interrupt the clashing of wills and wriggling. He swallowed and pushed aside a second wave of dizziness.

A black puff of hair uncovered itself to face the speaker.

"You're a big girl." Kuroko stated simply.

The curled ball stiffened. Dark brown eyes timidly peered over at Kagami's outstretched hands before looking up to Kuroko in confirmation. Kuroko gave a weak nod.

Reluctantly, Atsuko began untangling herself from her sensei's shirt. Kagami scooped the small form up in his arms and placed the respirator over her small mouth; she didn't struggle.

Kagami scrutinized Kuroko for a moment, contemplating whether he should hoist the smaller man up and run. Kuroko stared back.

"Go. I'll follow you."

Nodding, the fireman adjusted the added weight, securing the 5-year-old. He exited the room and peered behind him. Kuroko dutifully trailed after the pair.

The searing heat made it difficult to breathe. His lungs screamed in protest to the thinning oxygen while his heart palpitated in a crazed frenzy. Each breath brought in more acrid smoke than air.

Thoughts whirled and contorted in his head.

You're a big girl.

The words sounded familiar. A fuzzy memory began to form, tugging at the edges of his muddled thought.

You're a big girl.

"_I'm a big boy!" _

_The five-year olds heated gaze met with a gentle smile. Placing both hands on his hips, Kuroko's student let out an indignant huff. _

"_I can go to the bathroom By. My. Self." He punctuated each word with a tone of finality and finished off strongly with a scowl that instantly disappeared as fingers laced through his hair._

_Kuroko patted the boys head, ruffling the soft locks affectionately. _

"_H-hey! Don't treat me like a kid." He snapped. The boy puffed out his chest but stayed still nonetheless._

"_Ahhh,"Kuroko sighed with a frown. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a girl with short brown hair take a hesitant step forward, stuffed teddy bear in tow. Her brows scrunched together in concern. Feeling a bit mischievous, he winked to her before his cover was blown. Now his partner in crime, the girl beamed a dazzling smile while zipping her lips and waddled over to a pillowed corner to play with her companion. _

"_Sensei's so sad." Kuroko drawled light-heartedly. The boy's ears perked up at his words. "People will think that sensei didn't teach Daichi-kun any manners."_

_Whipping around to face the man, Daichi sputtered. _

"_T-that's not true! Sensei…sensei is…" he trailed off, ears turning a shade of pink. The small boy balled his fists and choked out, "very kind and nice and _way_ better than kaasan who makes me eat stupid vegetables and...!" _

_A twinkling chuckle interrupted his flustered rant. His head snapped up at the offender, his face sporting a mixture of mortification and bashfulness. Flushing scarlet, he floundered about for a moment. Retorts died on his lips and for once the entire room retained silence. _

"_Vegetables are good for you." Kuroko admonished, while covering his mouth to hide his amusement._

_Daichi looked like he had been slapped on the cheek._

"_They are NOT!" he whined while zipping out of the room. Blinking, Kuroko admired his speed. _

_Peeking out from the open door, Daichi screamed "Don't you DARE follow me until you think about what you've done you… you BETRAYER!"_

_Fuming, he moved to slam the door shut but hesitated. Furrowing his brows in deep thought, he decided to slide the screen shut. _

_Feeling the scrutinizing eyes of his kids, Kuroko let out a soft sigh and made an effort to shake his head disapprovingly. He kept his smile hidden. So the boy did have manners. _

He still had time to follow the boy.

Gazing at the letters "Kagami" imprinted onto the back of the fireman's helmet, Kuroko felt reassured.

'Take care of her Kagami-san.' Kuroko thought before turning around.

The bathroom was down the crumbling hallway.

Drawing in a deep breath, Kuroko took in the smoke. The smell of melting paint and smoldering penetrated his chest, clinging to the cavity in an attempt of suffocation. Smoke and heat curled around his lungs, constricting the already limited air flow. Pain raced through his throat. Despite the perspiration coating his form, his tongue shriveled at the lack of water.

But now he had no time for those frivolous thoughts.

His blood raced through his tremulous body. No emotion registered on his face; his thoughts of worry and panic dissolved into an unshakable resolve.

Daichi was waiting for him and he refused to be late.

Determination transformed into energy urging him to push forward. He willed strength into his legs and glared into the tunnel of flames. He broke out into a run.

Behind him, Kagami Taiga rushed out the front of the building, cradling Atsuko in his arms. After placing the girl into the hands of the paramedics, he turned back to check Kuroko.

Instead, he witnessed a huge piece of debris fall, obstructing the entrance.

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A/N: Well, there it is, though I'm not completely satisfied with the interactions between Kuroko and his kids. I have no idea how 4/5 year-olds act, so if they seem out of place, I apologize. I'm open to any criticisms or opinions for future chapters. Once again thank you guys for the support and hope you guys enjoyed it!


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